


Missing Gears

by gnomesagetion



Series: The Broken - Thunderbirds [3]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2018-06-03 23:19:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6631201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gnomesagetion/pseuds/gnomesagetion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things always go wrong when something good happens. For example: The Thunderbirds were just starting up when Gordon Tracy was the only survivor of a holfoil crash. An engagement of a Tracy son and an ex FBI agent when someone is out to get International Rescue. But sometimes good things come from the bad things in our lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Naomi and Virgil stood hand in hand outside a church in Matamata, New Zealand. Three weeks earlier Virgil had proposed to Naomi at a New Year’s party with her old team at the FBI. Three days later they had decided that they wanted to get married at Naomi’s old church in her hometown. A week after that, Naomi had started packing her stuff for her move to Tracy Island. Although Jeff Tracy had told the couple that he was perfectly fine with Virgil moving back to America to live with his soon to be wife, both Naomi and Virgil wanted to live on the island. So that Virgil could continue working for International Rescue. So that Naomi could join International Rescue.   
“You okay Nomey?” Virgil asked his fiancé  
“Yeah. Just nervous. I haven’t been here for over 20 years. I don’t even remember who was running the office,”  
“You were barely six when you left,”  
“Yeah. And I barely remember anyone from here. And like 60% of the church was at the funeral,”  
“So let’s get this over and done with,”  
“Yeah,”

Naomi knocked on the office door. A short women opened it. She looked very familiar to Naomi  
“Hi, can I help you?” She asks  
“Um… Hi, I’m Naomi Winchester and this is my fiancé Virgil Tracy. We were wondering if we could have our wedding here,”  
“Come on in, I’ll see what I can do,” The women showed the couple into the office “I’m Philippa Winchester by the way,” Naomi laughed a little.  
“I think my cousin on my dad’s side has a wife called Philippa,” She explained “It’s not every day this sort of thing happens,”  
“What’s your cousin’s name?”  
“Err… It can’t be Nat or Theo because I know for certain they’re still bachelors. Maru is who knows where doing who knows what. Brian, David and Kelvin all have a different last names. Anthony lives in Rotorua while Jeremy is in Wellington. So that leaves Sam and Matthew,” Naomi counts on her fingers “I think its Matt but I can’t be sure. I haven’t seen any of my cousins since I was like six,”  
“So you’re the cousin who moved to America,”  
“Yeah. Wow. Are you and Matt living here?”  
“On a farm out on Taihou South,”  
“Cool,”  
“Anyway, besides the mini family reunion, you two want to get married here,”  
“Yeah. Naomi grew up here and we thought it would be nice if we married in Naomi’s hometown,”  
“So what date are you thinking about?” Philippa asked, logging onto the computer.  
“We haven’t…”  
“July 14th,” Virgil interrupted “No more tears of sadness,”  
“A winter wedding?”  
“Why not?”  
“You just want it to be easier to remember my birthday,” Naomi bantered with her fiancé playfully  
“Have I ever forgotten your birthday?”  
“No. But your brother has,”  
“So we have nothing planned or booked on Wednesday 14th July this year, would you like us to book you in for the day?” Philippa asked  
“Yes please,” Naomi and Virgil said in union. A tall boy walked through the door.  
“Hey Mum,” He looked up and saw the two visitors in the office.  
“Caleb, this is your dad’s cousin Naomi and her fiancé Virgil,” Philippa told her son “They’re planning to have their wedding here in Matamata,”  
“Hey,” Naomi said “Nice to meet you,”  
“You too,” Caleb said “I’m going to Uncle Sam’s now Mum. I’ll be back on Thursday,”  
“Okay. See you then,” Naomi sighed.  
“I completely forgot how many people there are on my dad’s side,”  
“Well the church will be big enough for the whole family,” Philippa told the couple  
“That’s true,” Naomi agreed “So anything else we need to do before we leave?”  
“Yeah, just your address and payment details,” Philippa told the couple. Virgil grabbed the pen and paper.  
“Remember most of the payment for the wedding is coming from my bank account,”  
“I’ll pay for the venue – you save it for the dress,” Naomi rolled her eyes.  
“Okay, I’ll contact you guys later with more details,”  
“Thanks Philippa,” Naomi told her cousin’s wife  
“No problem. But don’t be surprised if you get a wedding present from the church,” The three adults laughed.  
“See you around,” Virgil said “We’ve got a few more jobs to do before we head home tomorrow,”  
“Of course, I won’t keep you any longer,”

15 minutes later, Naomi pulled into a driveway. A blue letter box stood on a wooden post at one end. At the other end, an old house from the 1970s stood.   
“Welcome to the Winchester farm,” She told her fiancé “My childhood home,”  
“It’s beautiful,”  
“For an old house. That my dad helped to build when he was nine,” Naomi said “That shed must have been put up after I left though. I don’t remember that being there,”  
“I think we should go talk to the occupants, they must be wondering whose car this is,” Virgil suggested.  
“Good idea,” They got out of the car and went up the concrete steps. They walked along a path to a set of orange wooden steps.  
“My poppa made these before he died,” Naomi explained “The only way down before these were made were the steps on the other side and the front porch,”  
“You really remember all that?”  
“Of course I do. I always was a bright kid,” Naomi took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. A teenage girl opened the door.  
“Can I help you?”  
“Um Hi, I’m Naomi. This is my fiancé, Virgil, are your parents’ home?”  
“Yeah,” The girl answers “Mum! Someone’s at the door for you!” An older women appeared.  
“Hi, you must be the landlord’s niece,” The women said “I’m Kristen Jones, we’re renting the house at the moment,”  
“I’m Naomi Winchester, this is my fiancé, Virgil,” Naomi introduced herself and the middle Tracy.  
“Come on in,” Kristen said.

Kristen handed Naomi a glass of water and Virgil a cup of coffee.  
“Congratulations on your engagement,” She told the couple “So when’s the wedding,”  
“July 14th,” Naomi told the women “We’re having it at the bible church in town and we were wondering if we could use the house for the night since neither one of us own property here in New Zealand,”  
“Well we’re on holiday in Australia at that time so feel free to use it for a week if you need to,” Kristen said “Mr Turner explained the situation to us over the phone a few days ago,”  
“Thank you so much Kristen,” Virgil smiled “This means a lot to us,”  
“No problem,”  
“We’ve got the wedding venue done as well as a place to stay. Still need to worry about the cake, catering, the dress and the people in the wedding party and people invited,”  
“I’ve got a friend who does catering, I’ll give you her number,” Kristen said, writing down a number on her notepad “Just tell her that Kristen Jones gave you the number,”  
“Thank you again Kristen,” Naomi said, handing over a card “Here’s my number if something crops up. Obviously I don’t work for the FBI anymore,”  
“Thanks, I hope you two can get everything ready in time for your wedding,”

Cameron Muter sat in his apartment, reading the latest issue of New Life. The cover story was the announcement of Virgil Tracy and Naomi Winchester’s engagement. While the news of their engagement had been released some weeks prior by The Maze, the Tracy family had only just officially confirmed the fact. It had a photo of the middle Tracy son holding his bride-to-be gently. He had extra reason to. The lucky girl’s right arm was in a dark blue sling. The article stated that the 29 year old had recently been caught in crossfire while saving the fourth Tracy son. Cameron sighed. It would have been better if that Tracy had died when he was supposed to. It would have meant that the Tracy family would have to go through even more pain that they were originally going to go through. Because of the red haired son, Jeff Tracy was going to have to watch his first daughter-in-law perish alongside all of his sons. Cameron picked up his phone and dialled the number at the top of his contacts list. His only contact.  
“Good evening sir, I’m afraid to report that this time, it seems, that the rumours of a Tracy bride were true,”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Tracy Island

Naomi stepped off Tracy 2. She took a deep breath. This was going to be her home for the rest of her life.   
“Wait until you’re top side,” Virgil told his fiancé  
“You’re supposed to be doing post-flight checks,” Naomi laughed  
“That I should,” Virgil agreed “Why don’t you head up?” Naomi looked around. To the untrained eye the hanger looked like every other hanger. There were cans of fuel and tools for repairs. Spare parts were neatly shelved. But when you knew the secret of Tracy Island, you would see so much more in the hanger. The door which most likely led to the hangers for the famous Thunderbirds. The tiny alarm in the right hand corner. And the open door leading the Tracy Family home. And the small red haired Tracy.  
“Hey Gordon!” Naomi called out, waving at the 20 year old. The red haired looked up and saw the tall 29 year old. He ran down the stairwell and across the hanger to greet her.  
“You’re here! You’re finally here!” He says, pulling her into a tight hug. Naomi embraces the fourth son of Jeff Tracy.  
“Of course I’m here. I’ll always be here for you,”  
“Thank you,”  
“No problem. Want to help me with my luggage?” Gordon nodded and picked up the smaller of the two suitcases. Naomi rolled her eyes.  
“Come on, I’ll show you to your room Miss Winchester,” Gordon noticed the movement and decided to be a porter.  
“Why thank you,” Naomi smiled as she followed the second youngest Tracy Brother to the hanger door and into the house. A tall Malaysian teen ran past the two adults.  
“Watch where you’re running Tin Tin!” Gordon called out to the teen.  
“Sorry Gordon!” The girl told the red head “Sorry Naomi!”  
“Virgil’s been talking about you and drawing you a lot,” Gordon explained when he saw Naomi’s confused face “That’s Tin Tin Kyrano. She’s Alan’s girlfriend,”  
“I’m staying at her house until Virgil and I get married right?”  
“Yep,”  
“Anyone else I need to know about?”  
“You ask a lot of questions,”  
“Of course I do. It was my job,”  
“True, true. And to answer your question, there’s the Kyrano family; Tin Tin and her parents and then there’s Brains. He’s the local genius,”  
“Other than John?”  
“I’d say that they could be an equal match,” Gordon thought about his words carefully. The two friends walked out of the Tracy household and onto the porch. Naomi spotted the pool.  
“Olympic sized or regular?”  
“25 metres,” Gordon sighed “Didn’t have enough room for an Olympic one,”  
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re a spoiled brat,”  
“And I’d say that I’m the person caring your luggage and I could easily throw it into the pool,”  
“And if I remember correctly, I need to be able to lift someone twice your weight with two hands. I have one hand that I use and quite frankly, if you were to throw my stuff into the pool – you’d be joining it,” Naomi shot a murderous glare at the fourth Tracy.  
“Okay. I won’t throw you things in the pool,” Gordon said, filing the knowledge away “I’ll just have to do find something better,”  
“I’d like to see you try,” Naomi said, laughing as they continued their way to the Kyrano household.

Naomi had just finished putting her clothes away in a closet when a loud siren blared.  
“At least I now know what Virgil meant by a really loud bell,” She muttered as she ran out of the Kyrano household and over to the Tracy house. One by one members of International Rescue flooded into the Tracy living room. Virgil, Gordon and Jeff were present. John was on hologram and the other Tracy’s were in America. One for School and the other for business.  
“What’s problem John?” Jeff asked.  
“A 5.6 earthquake has struck Christchurch, New Zealand. Buildings have collapsed and a lot of people are trapped,” John explained “This earthquake has caused more damaged than the 5.5 on February 14th in 2016,”  
“Gordon, you’re taking Thunderbird 1, Virgil and I will go in Thunderbird 2. Tin Tin can run Control,” Jeff said. Jeff turned around to see Naomi.  
“Any words of advice from our New Zealand expert?”  
“Watch out for liquefaction, keep clear of cliffs and other tall structures and be prepared for aftershocks,” Naomi replied “Those are the major risks after an earthquake in that area,”  
“Thanks for the advice,” Virgil said, kissing his fiancé on the cheek before heading off behind a portrait of a rocket. Soon it was only Tin Tin and Naomi in the room.  
“Anything I can do to help?” Naomi asked  
“Of course,” Tin Tin replied “But it might not be for a while. So tell me more about the Christchurch area,”  
“Well its part of the Canterbury region. The super 18 team is the Crusaders and their colours are red and black. Christchurch is known as the Garden City of New Zealand and was home to the Christchurch Cathedral which they had to demolish a few years after the original Christchurch Earthquake. They didn’t know there was a fault line under Christchurch until the first quake hit. And it was also the first place to encounter liquefaction,” Naomi explained “They’ve been plagued with quakes ever since,”  
“It’s hard knowing your country is in danger and you can’t do anything to help,” Tin Tin said “But International Rescue will be doing everything they can to help,”  
“I know. I’m just worried about the aftershocks. The February 22nd Earthquake was an aftershock. It was bigger and caused more damage than the first,”

“You were right about that liquefaction Naomi,” Gordon said into his head piece “It’s everywhere,”  
“And it’s getting on my bird,” Virgil huffed. He could hear laughter from the two female members of International Rescue through his head piece.  
“We’ll clean it later Virg,” Naomi promised “Any success on finding anyone?”  
“We’ve managed to find a group of people under a pile of rubble,” Jeff answered “We attempting to do the rescue now,”  
“I don’t think that’s a good…” John’s thoughts were cut off as Tracy Island shook a little “Idea,”  
“John?” Naomi asked quickly “Do not tell me that that was an earthquake we just felt,”  
“You asked me not to tell you that,” John said “Epicentre was off the coast of Christchurch. And it was stronger than the first,”  
“And what about tsunamis?” Naomi asked  
“None for Tracy Island yet but there’s a few for the Australian coast,” John replied  
“I can take Thunderbird 3 out if we need to,” Tin Tin says. John’s hologram frowned.  
“Have you guys made contact with the others?” Tin Tin and Naomi looked at each other.  
“Op 6 to Commander, come in Commander,” Tin Tin said into her head set  
“Op 7 to Op 3, come in Op 3,” Naomi nervously said into her own “Pick up,”  
“I’m sure they’re fine,” John said “I’ll call Scott and Alan so that they know what has happened. I’m sure that they will be fine. Probably just a communication error,”  
“We’ll keep trying,”

Three hours later the sound of jets was heard over Tracy Island. Both Naomi and Tin Tin rushed down to the hangers. They were just in time to see Thunderbird 2 roll into the hanger. Naomi sighed. The way that her fiancé had talked about his bird was like her Uncle Dean talk about his wife. There was only two ways that Thunderbird 2 could have come home. Number One was if Virgil was flying her. The other way was if Virgil was hurt and one of his brothers or father was flying. The second way rarely happened. Virgil was just as stubborn as his bride-to-be. And he hated it when someone was flying his bird.  
“They’re alright,” Naomi whispered “There’s no way Thunderbird 2 would leave without Virg,”  
“Well no one could have been seriously hurt,” Tin Tin said, checking the hanger log “Thunderbird 1 is already parked,”  
“And there’s no scratches on it,” Gordon said “Virgil and Dad are fine as well. Although Virgil wants Dad to take it easy with his left arm for a next few days,”  
“Well go and get cleaned up. You’ve got liquefaction all over you,” Naomi said  
“And Mum will kill you if you drag… that… all over the house,” Tin Tin agreed “Let us handle your brothers,” Gordon smiled as he walked off to the showers.  
“So was it your end or our end that closed of communications?” Virgil asked from behind.  
“Well we still had John on the line and Thunderbird 5 runs off Tracy Island so it must have been your end,” Tin Tin says “Also go and have a shower, I doubt your wife-to-be will hug you otherwise,”  
“Take as long as you want,” Naomi said “We’ve still got Scott, John and Alan to inform,”  
“Better you guys than me,” Virgil said “Also – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets or Star Wars episode 1?”  
“Harry Potter. Popcorn or Hot Chocolate?”  
“Both,”  
“It’s a date then,” Naomi smiled. Virgil followed his immediate younger brother’s footsteps to the showers.  
“You two make a great couple,” Tin Tin commented  
“So do you and Alan,” Naomi said “Oh don’t look so surprised. I know exactly who each brother did. So of course I know that you’re the best girl for the baby of the family,”  
“Thanks. So what were you working on back in the lounge?”  
“Just something that I was working on when Virgil was in hospital after the whole DC Bombings case. Let’s just say that if my idea comes to life, it might just make our jobs a little easier,” Naomi replied “But I still need to get a few signatures from the FBI Director, the Commander of International Rescue and few world leaders before it can work,”  
“Just another day at the office then?”  
“I suppose so,”


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks later, Gordon was walking down the streets of New York City. For someone who was going to be late, Gordon was incredibly calm. He had every right to be. It had been over a month since he had been kidnapped. Over a month that he had learned to look at the world even closer. To appreciate what the world was. Sometimes, however, it was better to look at the bigger picture. Gordon was so engrossed into his thoughts that he walked right into a young doctor. This event caused the young doctor’s open book bag to fall to the ground, spilling its contents.  
“I’m so sorry,” Gordon said, immediately dropping to the footpath.  
“That’s okay, it’s my fault for rushing everywhere,” The doctor said. Her curly brown hair was tied in a ponytail which rested over her left shoulder.  
“I should have been watching where I was going,” Gordon apologised, handing the female her work. The female smiled. Both looked at their watches.  
“I have got to go now,” The doctor said “I’m going to be late,” She started running.  
“And so am I,” Gordon muttered as he picked up his pace. 

Stassia Aulman was running through central park at 4:30pm. She normally wouldn’t run this late but because she had missed her morning run, she had to make it up somehow. Of all the days for a small problem with her electricity to happen – it had to be the one where she had a very important meeting. It was her fault that she didn’t own a battery powered alarm clock. Sure she had her phone but Stassia liked the digital alarm clock her foster brothers had given her when she went off to college. It had become a bit of a habit. Luckily she wasn’t the only doctor late to the meeting. Apparently there were a few others who had similar problems. Landlords. The song changed from a smooth classical to a classic rock song. The intro had her hooked in. And just like the morning, Stassia managed to bump into someone.  
“We have got to stop meeting like this,” A semi-familiar voice said. Stassia could hear the laugh in his voice. She saw the red hair and brown eyes. The very same red hair and brown eyes from this morning.  
“I’m so sorry,” Stassia apologised, taking her headphones out.  
“It’s okay, my brothers keep telling that I’d bump into something with my running,” The man said “Glad it just happened here instead of back home,” Stassia laughed a little. The man smiled.  
“I’m Stassia Aulman,” Stassia introduced herself.  
“Gordon Tracy,” The red head held out his hand. Stassia smiled. She accepted his handshake.  
“So what’s the good doctor doing out here in this weather?” Gordon asked.  
“Missed my morning run,”  
“From the way you bumped into me this morning, I would have counted that as your morning run,”  
“Ha ha, very funny,” Stassia rolled her eyes “What about you?”  
“Just needed the exercise,” Gordon said “No swimming pool here in New York for me to use. And my brother’s fiancé thinks it would a good idea for me to run more often,”  
“Well your soon to be sister-in-law is kind of right. Running does help with your swimming a lot,” Stassia explained. Gordon smiled.  
“She is always right,” He said “When she gets all of the facts,”  
“Sounds like you like her,”  
“Of course I do. She’s like a cousin to me. She baby sat me when my older brothers were busy with all sorts of things,” Stassia checked her watch.  
“I’ve got to get going,” She said “If I want to make it back to my apartment before it gets dark,”  
“I’ll see you around Stassia,” Gordon said “And thanks for not freaking out about my last name,” A goofy smile appeared on the face of the red haired male before he started running off. And that’s when it clicked. Stassia had just meet Gordon Tracy. The fourth son of the billionaire Jeff Tracy. The Olympic gold medallist, Gordon Tracy.

It was the next day at work that surprised Stassia the most. One of the ER doctors, Megan Greenwood, gave her a piece of paper with a phone number on it.  
“Gordon came to visit this morning, said he wanted me to give this to you,” She explained “He also said something about getting a hot chocolate together sometime tomorrow,”  
“Thanks Dr Greenwood,” The doctor laughed  
“You do realise that it is Valentine’s Day tomorrow right?”  
“It is?” Stassia said surprised.  
“It is. You’re one lucky lady Stassia Aulman,” Dr Greenwood told the Cardiologist “Tell him, I expect to see his soon to be sister in law for her check-up for me please. He rushed off in a hurry this morning,”   
“Of course, and thank you again Dr Greenwood,”  
“No problem Dr Aulman,”

Gordon was eating dinner when his phone rang. The caller was unknown. But Gordon instantly knew who it would be. He had been waiting for this call all day. He picked the phone and answered it.  
“Gordon Tracy,”  
“Hey Gordon, its Stassia Aulman. Dr Greenwood said I should call you,”  
“Hey Stassia,” Gordon replied “I was wondering if you’d like to grab a hot chocolate or maybe a coffee tomorrow. I’m heading back home for a while and I wanted to say goodbye before I go,” Stassia could feel herself blushing.   
“Yeah sure. I’d love to get a drink with you. I get off work at 4 tomorrow,” Stassia told him  
“Great. Do you want to meet at Robert Harris or shall I come meet you at work?” Gordon asked.   
“Robert Harris is a good spot to meet. Are we going to the one near the hospital or the one by Tracy Towers?”  
“The one near the hospital – it’s closer to the airport,”  
“So it will be a quick visit then,”  
“No. We have a tradition in my family that I get to finally partake in. My brother, Virgil, is coming to pick me up for it,” Gordon explained “I won’t be leaving until the day after but you’ll probably be at work,”  
“Speaking of work. Dr Greenwood said to tell you that she expects your sister in law to be to come see her for a check-up,”  
“Naomi’s got one booked for Monday,”  
“So I’ll see you tomorrow. Half past four,” Stassia said, smiling.  
“It’s a date,” Gordon confirmed.

Stassia saw the red haired man walk through the doors of Robert Harris at 6:30. Their date had to be pushed back when one of Gordon’s meetings went over time and an emergency surgery on Stassia’s end had forced Stassia to stay at work.  
“We have got to stop doing this,” Gordon said, smiling “We’re always late for everything it seems,”  
“Sometimes being late isn’t a bad thing,”  
“Aren’t you supposed to be a doctor? I thought that doctors were all about being on time,” Stassia laughed  
“When it comes to medical matters, then yes we do like being on time. But since when have you ever had an early doctor’s appointment?”  
“Never,” Gordon said, laughing. He caught his breath.  
“So we have 15ish minutes until Virgil and Naomi come to meet me. What would you like to drink Miss Aulman?”  
“I’ll take a Hot Chocolate thanks Mr Tracy,”

“You did what?” Stassia laughed as Gordon told the story of his senior prank.  
“Yeah – we managed to get the entire school to ditch for a whole day. The teachers went nuts,”  
“At least it wasn’t as bad as my brother’s prank,” Stassia said “Percy managed to tip buckets of ice and water on all of his teachers,” Gordon laughed.  
“I appreciate good practical pranks but one of the best senior pranks I have ever seen was the one pulled by Scott and Naomi. They managed to fool all the juniors into thinking that they wasted that years prank on one person, namely my older brother John, when their real prank wasn’t for a few months. They along with their friend managed to give the entire junior year the walk of shame to the office to collect dry clothing after being bombarded by flour and water,”  
“Okay. AS of this moment, Scott Tracy and Naomi Winchester are King and Queen of the senior pranks,” Stassia announced.  
“But I doubt we’ll hold that title for long,” A tall female said “Alan’s the last Tracy to graduate and I’d hate to be at his school when his prank starts. While Gordon is the prankster, Alan has four older brothers plus myself to draw ideas from,” Gordon started to cheekily smile.  
“Don’t you dare give him any ideas Gords,” The accompanying male said, laughing “You’re both terrible enough on your own,”  
“Stassia, may I introduce my brother Virgil and his fiancé, Naomi Winchester. Guys, this is my friend Dr Stassia Aulman,” Gordon introduced the couple to the curly haired doctor.  
“Nice to meet you,” Naomi said, holding out her left hand “Sorry about the awkwardness. MY sling will hopefully come off tomorrow,”  
“You’ve had it…” Virgil quickly covered his little brother’s mouth  
“Let me guess,” Stassia said, laughing “You’re a right hander and you’ve been using it,” Naomi nods meekly.  
“I was going to get bored otherwise,”  
“Well if you kept movement to a minimum, you should be alright but if not – I’m guessing here, two to three weeks more,” Stassia diagnosed the situation “But I don’t know what Dr Greenwood’s reaction will be,”  
“The downside of your doctor dating your best friend,” Naomi muttered.  
“Well Gordon – we have that thing we were planning to do,” Virgil said “We better get going,”  
“Don’t drink too much boys,” Naomi reminded “Gordon might be a light weight,”  
“I will not be a light drinker,” Gordon pouted. Naomi and Stassia smiled at the red head.  
“You’re be fine getting back to the towers by yourself?” Virgil asked quickly.  
“I’ll be fine, Virg,” Naomi told her fiancé “While I may not be able to use my gun, I still have ten years’ worth of training under my belt. Now go. Don’t let us stop you from showing Gordon the world,”  
“I’ll call you tomorrow Stassia,” Gordon said “And I’ll see you back at the towers Naomi,” Virgil kissed his fiancé before the two Tracy brothers left Robert Harris.  
“I don’t know about you Stassia, but I’ll stay here for a while,” Naomi told the young doctor “But a word of advice. Gordon’s a bit of a player. Always has been so be careful,”  
“Nice to meet you Naomi,” Stassia said as she left the building.


	4. Chapter 4

Naomi sat on the doctor’s seat. Dr Megan Greenwood was checking her right arm out.  
“Well your arm is healing nicely,” She explained “A few more weeks and your arm will be almost good as new. But the swelling will have to come down if you wish to go back to a job,”  
“So I don’t have to wear a sling anymore?”  
“Well you haven’t been wearing one for a few weeks so why should you start bothering now?” Megan laughed “But I would like you to wear on for a few hours every day. It will help in the long run,”  
“Who told you?”  
“Scott did,”  
“That traitor,”   
“He told me because he was concerned,”  
“I know,” Naomi said, smiling “But I’m still going to get him back,” Megan laughed.  
“I’ll tell him to be on guard,”  
“I wouldn’t expect less,” Naomi told her friend “Also speaking of you and Scott. I was wondering if you would like to be my Maid of Honour at my wedding. It’s obvious that Virgil will pick Scott as his Best Man,”  
“But what about your other friends? You’ve surely known them longer than you have me,”  
“I’ve already talked to them,” Naomi answered “And they agree that if Scott is to be Virgil’s Best Man then you should be my Maid of Honour. They all feel like that it would be wrong to dance with a man whose eyes are obviously looking at another member of the wedding party,”  
“Well if that is the case – then yes, I’ll be your Maid of Honour,” Megan replied “But only if you wear your sling for at least three hours every day for at least two weeks,” Naomi sighed.  
“Fine,”  
“Well I’ll talk to you soon. Thanks for being a good patient,”  
“No problem Dr Greenwood. Thank you for being an amazing doctor,” Naomi replied, getting out of the chair.  
“Just doing my job,”

It was half past one that afternoon when Virgil came out of his room. He saw his fiancé sitting on the couch, her right arm in a sling and her laptop open.  
“Don’t come near me until you have had a few showers and a breath mint that doesn’t smell like mint,” Naomi said, not looking up from whatever she was doing.  
“You do realise that breath mints are meant to be mint flavoured,” Virgil said as he picked up a glass. He turned on the tap and filled the glass to halfway.  
“Well have a Mentos then,” Naomi replied “You know I hate the smell of mint,”  
“You’re the only person I know who doesn’t like mint,” Virgil said “It doesn’t matter what shape or form it is in you always seem to despise that,”  
“It was an unfortunate experience with a Tic Tac before I came to America,” Naomi explained “But seriously – go and take a shower and have a Mentos,”  
“Fine,” Virgil said “Just letting you know that Gordon was a lightweight just like you said he would be,”  
“But John’s still worse?”  
“Gordon at least made it through the first bottle,”  
“Also – wake him up. He’s got to get over it one way or another,” Virgil rolled his eyes. Naomi laughed.  
“I love you Virg,”  
“Love you too Nomi,”

Cameron Muter watched the couple interact with each other. Facial Recognition had come back with a former FBI agent named Naomi Winchester and the third son of Jeff Tracy, Virgil. The papers had announced their engagement a few months prior. Why yes, the two adults would be eliminated sooner rather than later, it was not them who Cameron had come for. Rather he was there for the red haired Tracy. Gordon had slipped through his fingers once before. But not this time. This time, Cameron’s damage would be more fatal than just the occasional back pain. But how to do it was a tough question. Another mechanical failure? Or maybe a sniper shoot out. Cameron shook his head. No – This had to be done personally. He couldn’t let anyone else do it. Last time he did that, everyone but the person he wanted dead died. Cameron Muter was not going to make the same mistakes again.

He remembered the event like it was yesterday. When his own superiors had told him that one of the cadets that would be younger than the average cadet, S.O. Cameron Muter wasn’t sure. Since International Rescue, or the Thunderbirds as many people called them, had sprung up many younger men had applied to become part of WASP. Many of them just wanted to be heroes and many of them did not have skills required for the job. So the superiors gave him the file belonging to Cadet Gordon Tracy. Yes, there were more than a few listed disciplinary actions but there was also good reports. The good out weighted the bad and it seemed that the cadet was very committed to the job. Heck, Gordon Tracy went as far as finishing his final year of High School alongside the First Year training program. So Cameron accepted the fact. Just because Cadet Tracy was the son of a billionaire or younger than most of his squadron did not mean that he would be treated any different from the others.

Gordon Tracy knew how to pull his weight. If anything, the young red head was one of the most proficient of S.O. Cameron Muter’s squadron. When it was his turn on any duty, Cadet Tracy would the job done straight away. Any night or dawn watches he was assigned were done with a cup of coffee in his system. None of the others had the pleasure of a late night cup of coffee. They liked to leave getting out of bed until the very last minute – Gordon did not. But most importantly, the squadron liked him. If your spirits were down, Gordon would try to give you something to smile about. A little joke or a smile could go a long way in a place like this. But if some of the older men in the squad caught him in the middle of taking another biscuit from the biscuit box, Gordon just stood there, smiling. His eyes portrayed his personal life. I’ve done this before. I have three older brothers – you don’t scare me. It made the other men feel sorry for any of Gordon’s family members. When the first year come to a close, the others were sad to see the red head leave.

Normally the Hydrofoil training didn’t begin until you were in your third year, but something had happened in the Third Year training squadron which had forced the superiors to place the Second Year training squadron on the Hydrofoil. S.O. Cameron Muter had not expected to be teaching Gordon Tracy and the rest of his squadron for another two years. But Fate liked to play in mysterious ways. All cadets got turns at being navigator, engineers and pilots. Pretty soon everyone had found which job they liked best and the ship was doing fine. The squadron of fourteen men took turns in groups of seven. Half would focus of the theory side of things – how the hydrofoil worked, what to do in an emergency etc. – while the others would be out at sea with S.O. Cameron Muter training with the Hydrofoil. Gordon’s half of the consisted of himself and Billy Blacks as the pilots, Max Singer as the navigator, Aspen Bartlett in control of Sonar and Le Roy Carter, Jack Evans and Alex Smith on the other instruments. The seven men were the younger half of their squadron and were pretty close. But enclosed environments tended to bring up unwanted tension. There was the occasional dispute between Max and Aspen. Everyone knew that they had come from the same area. Everyone knew that there was a girl back home. Everyone knew that she was waiting for only one of them. And it annoyed the other. Most of the cadets had girls waiting for them. Le Roy had announced after their last weekend off that he and his long time sweetheart were planning to tie the knot. Billy and Jack also had long term relationships. Alex, Gordon and Max were the only single men on the ship. Alex had said that he hadn’t dated since his girlfriend had been killed in a freak avalanche when they were in High School. Gordon and his last girlfriend had broken up after graduation. It had been coming for a long time though. Gordon was just surprised it had taken them so long to do so. Looking back, Cameron Muter knew that if what had happened had not happened that these cadets would have made great husbands and fathers. They were already great men. The other half of the squadron was just as great. Most had already tied the knot – only two were left single. 

It was towards the end of year that cadets on the Hydrofoil got to go out for more than just a few hours. Both halves had told their wives, girlfriends and family that they were going out to sea for a few days and would be uncontactable. They had said good bye and 12 hours later all fourteen men of the Second Year training squadron were aboard the hydrofoil for the three day course. The two halves would take turns in the control room and sleeping. Their supervising officer would often come into the sleeping quarters or control room to see how everyone was coping and working. Each shift was four hours long. If you had the 6am-10am shift you were lucky. It meant that, if you wanted, you could play card games or just talk with the others instead of getting some sleep. Your next shift would be the 2pm-6pm one and you could always sleep on the next four hour break. It’s just how it worked. 

But the inner workings of the Hydrofoil itself were wrong. Someone had tampered with both the navigation box and the tail flap. For most of the sub’s journey the course would follow the regulated training run but 15 hours into the trip, disaster would come closer. The sub would veer off course and the navigator wouldn’t notice. As far as they were concerned, the sub was heading in the right direction. And even if they did discover that they were on the wrong course, it didn’t matter. A gear was missing from the tail flap. That gear – if removed gave the pilots 15 hours of control before their course became permeant. Cameron knew all of this. He was the one who came up the plan. He wasn’t the one for did the deed though. No, Cameron paid a very accomplished assassin to do it. He didn’t mind the fact that it was quite possible that he would not survive the crash. Cameron had faith in his master. He had faith that he would be rescued.

Would Cameron have said yes to being controlled by someone if he knew that this was the way his life would go? Maybe. S.O. Cameron Muter had always wanted to do this type of thing when he was kid. Being a saboteur of America’s enemies’ plans was the greatest thing in young Cameron’s mind. It still was. But as he grew older, his focus changed from being a saboteur or a secret agent like James Bond to being in command of a submarine. After finishing his degree in mechanics, Cameron Muter had signed up for WASP – the World Aquanaut Security Patrol. It was as strict and demanding as the Army, Air Force and Navy but had a wider berth of jurisdiction. While WASP was primarily American, many other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, England and France had a say in what WASP did. Typhoon in the Pacific? New Zealand arranged a small squadron to help with cleaning up in the ocean. More research into reefs? Australia sent a four maned sub to the Great Barrier Reef to collect it. The American Army, Air Force and Navy didn’t have that capability. The other countries had their own armies to use. The American counterparts weren’t needed when someone else was already there. Cameron Muter was happy that he had picked WASP over the Navy. Once he finished his own training, he was sent on a few missions before returning to train cadets. No one controlled him. He was just S.O. Cameron Muter. And it remained that way for years until the Thunderbirds showed up. It annoyed Cameron. Out of the blue these men in blue and masks appeared with their machines. They got jobs that could have easily been done by the Navy. Or WASP. Or the Army. Or the Air Force. What gave them the right? They had no ties to any country. They certainly did not work well with the military. They were always masked. Who could trust these men when they could not see their faces? When they did not know where their loyalties lay? It was absurd. The only good thing about International Rescue and Thunderbirds was the fact that it brought in more people into the different branches of military. And so Cameron suffered in silence for six months. His fellow rank would talk about the latest rescue over early morning coffee. While yes, they had their own doubts about International Rescue, they all seemed to believe that they were there for the good of the world. And it was just not on.

In came in a dream. Someone offered Cameron a way to stop the IR. Be a part of the future. Should he have asked for details? Yes, but Cameron did not care. He just wanted the Thunderbirds gone. And with one simple word, Cameron was taken over by The Voice. Cameron did not know the name of The Voice but he trusted him. He trusted The Voice to bring down International Rescue. All he hoped was the chance to do some of his own bringing down. Within months he got his opportunity. The Voice had told him who was under the masks. Cameron should have guessed sooner. The Tracy family all had various experiences which would make the operation so effective. The oldest son, Scott, had been in the Air Force. Cameron had heard whispers of the amazing feats he had accomplished in Military meetings. The perfect candidate for the pilot of Thunderbird One. Both Jeff Tracy and his second son, John, were astronauts. Thunderbird Five was the space station. Undoubtedly manned by John who had spent three years in space. To get up there you would need a rocket. Or Thunderbird Three to be precise. The third son, Virgil, had spent three years at the Denver School of Advance Technology. He probably designed half the equipment used. The Tracy family also had motive. Lucille Tracy, wife to Jeff and mother of five, had died in an avalanche. With proper equipment, she could have survived. So when the file of Gordon Tracy was given to him, Cameron was hopeful. Maybe his master would allow him to take care of the fourth son. Maybe this could be the first step in tearing down what the Tracy’s had built.

The Voice had let him. He arranged the assassin. He made the plan. He got to organise when Gordon Tracy’s team was in the Control Room to have the best effect. Yes, he was destroying 13 other innocent lives in the process but it was going to be worth it. When it finally did happen the only person to get out of the crash was Gordon Tracy. Everyone else died. At least, that’s what was told on every new station across the world. Everyone thought that the supervising officer, Cameron Muter, was dead. He was not. His faith in his master was well placed. The Voice had come through. The Voice was angry at first. Who wouldn’t be? Cameron had failed to kill the one person he needed to. But soon, The Voice gave him another assignment. Who wouldn’t love keeping tabs on the Tracy family rumours and Tracy Enterprises? So that was where Cameron stayed. Keeping an ear to the floor and his eyes to the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've finally got around to continuing this story and series. Which is great because I'm super proud of what I have written so far. At this point in time, Missing Gears is almost finished being written and I hope to start the next story in this series very soon. Sorry for leaving this for so long, but hey, what's study leave really for? Procrastinating by finishing your work.


	5. Chapter 5

“So we have catering and the venue sorted,” Naomi said, looking from her laptop. “And our Bridesmaids and Groomsmen are chosen. I still need to pick out a dress and you your suit. What else do we have to do?”  
“The vows, seating and table arrangements, music, decorations and speeches,” Virgil replied.  
“Great,” Naomi muttered “Well we have to start somewhere,”  
“Decorations sounds easiest,” Virgil says “What colours do you want?”  
“A light blue and a green. Since my favourite colour is blue and yours is green,”   
“A shade of blue like this?” Virgil asked, holding up a blue pencil. It matched the blue of Naomi’s jumper perfectly. Naomi nodded.  
“A good thing about marrying an artist is that you know exactly what colours to pair with each other,” Virgil laughed  
“It takes a lot of trial and error to find that perfect shade,” Virgil said, putting pencil to paper “Do you want the green to be Thunderbird Two green or nah?”  
“A lighter shade. There’s a reason why your suits are darker than that colour,”  
“True, True,”  
“I can’t believe we forgot flowers!” Naomi exclaimed suddenly “Any idea on what to get?”  
“Well a wedding is about joining two people together right?” Naomi mumbled an agreement “But it’s also about joining two families together. My brothers become yours and if your brother was still about he would become mine,”  
“So what are you thinking?” Naomi said. She smiled.  
“The flower arrangements would be in a white vase,” Virgil explained “And there are seven flowers in each vase. One green for me, purple for you, orange for John, yellow for Gordon, red for Alan, blue for Scott and a black to represent Stephen,”  
“Symbolic. I like it,” Naomi smiled. She moved her laptop to the couch and went over to her husband to be. She rested her chin on his left shoulder.  
“That looks perfect,” She said, pointing to a light shade of green.  
“We’ll look at flowers when it gets closer to July then,” Virgil said “What about seating arrangements?”  
“A wedding party table and the other guests will sit together at other tables. And they will be encouraged to sit next to someone they don’t know,”  
“Well it’s a good thing that you know a lot of people and have a big family then,”  
“You do release that there’s like 23 year age gap between myself and my oldest cousin. His oldest is basically half my age,”  
“And you’re still inviting them,”  
“I was invited to Matt and Pip’s wedding as well as Brian and Louise’s and one other and I can’t remember if it was Stephanie or Rebecca. They look so alike,”  
“And I’m glad that my parents were only children,”  
“I just wish that my dad didn’t have as many siblings,”  
“Imagine our kids though. They’re going to grow up with a big family,”  
“Not as big as mine,”   
“Probably,” Virgil agreed “Now what colour ribbons do you want?”  
“Oh that’s a tough one,” Naomi told her fiancé. And the alarm went off.  
“Continue this later?” Virgil asked, closing his sketch pad.  
“Absolutely,” Naomi agreed, closing her laptop lid.

“What’s the situation John?” Scott asked as Gordon entered the lounge. Virgil and Naomi sat on the blue couches while Tin Tin and Brains were at the controls.  
“We’ve got trapped people on the seventh floor of an apartment building in Germany. The fifth and fourth floors are completely covered in flames with the third and the sixth floors almost the same way,” John explained “We’ve got maybe 15 minutes until the seventh catches alight and then 10 minutes until it becomes engulfed,”  
“How many floors?” Virgil asked  
“Nine with access to the roof,” John said.  
“Get them all up to the roof, we’ll have to rescue them from there. We’ll never make it in time for the seventh floor,” Scott says “We’ll need all hands on deck. Virgil, has the swelling died?”  
“No,”  
“Don’t worry, I’ll man Command from here, Tin Tin can go. She’s more experienced at the whole International Rescue thing than me,”  
“Are you sure you can handle it by yourself?” Scott asked. Naomi rolled her eyes.  
“Are you wasting time?” She asked. Scott nodded and headed over to the lamps. Virgil got up and went over to the picture of the rocket. Tin Tin and Gordon ran off towards the hanger. Naomi got up and went to sit next to Brains at control.  
“I got this,” She muttered to herself, putting a headset on.

“I don’t got this,” Naomi complained to Virgil “You would think that as a German he would speak English or French. But nooo, I get the one guy who got home-schooled and learnt Spanish instead of French,” Virgil laughed.  
“So how were you able to tell them our orders?”  
“John speaks German,”  
“I forgot about that,”  
“Well he also speaks hundreds of other languages,” Naomi complained more “He should have worked as a translator. He would be such an asset for the FBI – you’d be surprised at how many non-English speaking people we have to talk to,”  
“So what did the German say?” Virgil asked “Scott said that John said that you would inform me,”  
“He didn’t say that to me,” Naomi said, concerned  
“B-b-b-but he did t-t-tell me,” Brains said “T-t-the fire h-has ac-ac-accelerated,” Naomi looked over to Brain’s screen. The fire had gotten worse. Naomi did some quick math.  
“How far are you out from the building?” Naomi asked  
“Two minutes,” Virgil said  
“We’ll have to get everyone on the rescue platform in two trips,” Naomi explained “And to do that, three people will be needed to be rescued by Thunderbird One. There is no other way that we would be able to do it,”  
“Okay, I’ll tell Scott,”  
“D-don’t b-b-bother. H-h-he already kn-kn-knows,”  
“Okay – arriving at the building now. I’ll talk to you later,”  
“Okay. I love you Virgil,” Naomi told her fiancé  
“I love you too Naomi,”

“We nearly lost one person,” Virgil told everyone at the debrief “Thankfully the ambulance was able to get them to the hospital in time,”  
“That’s good,” Jeff agreed “Anything else?”  
“The fire was started by someone leaving cooking untended – we don’t need to involve Lady P in this,” Scott said   
“Who’s Lady P again?” Naomi whispered to Virgil.  
“Lady Penelope is the daughter of one of Dad’s business partners. They’ve been backing International Rescue for years. Lady P heads up our intelligence group,” Virgil explained.  
“I can’t wait to meet her. She sounds like my type of person,”  
“Did I forget to mention she has a pink Rolls Royce?”  
“She does?” Scott coughed. Naomi and Virgil looked up. Both smiled as they realised that the others were waiting for them. Gordon muttered something cheeky under his breath. He was lucky to be on the other side of the room from Virgil and Naomi.  
“I think that’s all for today,” Jeff smiled, watching his sons. All had smiles on their faces. Gordon bolted from the lounge area, probably to go for a swim. John turned off communications from Thunderbird 5. Naomi and Virgil went towards the patio, to continue wedding planning. Scott left for his room.  
“I’ll call Alan tonight,” Jeff said, taking into account his youngest son “See how he’s doing,”


	6. Chapter 6

Over the next two months, Naomi and Virgil’s wedding came along. All of the guests had replied with yes. International Rescue had been set up with a message saying that they would be unreachable for two days either side of the 14th of July due a special date in the calendar. Virgil had chosen his suit out and so had his brothers. Everything was ready but the dresses of the Bride’s party and the flowers. In the middle of June, Virgil had two weeks in Thunderbird 5 rostered. John had organised the rotation and everything else to Naomi’s benefit. He was pretty sure that he was the only one of his brothers who knew that Naomi had yet to get a wedding dress. Selecting two weeks in the middle of June, he had spoken to Lady P to come over to America to take Naomi, Tin Tin, Ohana and Naomi’s friends dress shopping. He had done it with Naomi’s permission of course. Naomi was not someone he wanted to be on the bad side of. The plan was this; Virgil would go up to Thunderbird 5. John would return from space. After having some food and water and a little rest, he would then fly Naomi, Tin Tin and Ohana out to California. They would be meet by Naomi’s friends and Lady P at the airport. John had been informed that Siobhan, one of Naomi’s bridesmaids, had connections to a high end bridal dress shop. All while Virgil thought that Naomi was going to visit her uncle and aunt. And that’s what happened.

Naomi hugged her fiancé.   
“You have fun up in space,” She told him.  
“Want a picture of the Southern Cross?” He joked.  
“Nah. I have this amazing picture of it already,” Naomi smiled.   
“Have fun at your Uncle and Aunt’s,” Virgil kissed her before heading down to Thunderbird Three’s Hanger.

Naomi was writing up the last part of her proposed act when John came out of his room. She saved her work and shut her laptop down.  
“Are you ready?” She asked. John nodded. He yawned.  
“Do you want a cup of coffee before we leave?” Naomi asked, sympathising with her soon-to-be brother-in-law. John nodded again.  
“Well sit there and I’ll go make some,” Naomi commanded. A few minutes later John was nursing a cup of hot coffee.  
“Thanks Naomi,” He told his soon to be sister-in-law.  
“No problem – and I can get Gordon to fly me out to LA if you’re still tired,” Naomi said  
“No, I’ll fly you. Everyone else thinks that we’re flying out to Kansas,” John said “I’ll be fine,”  
“If you say so John, I’ll go load the luggage and find Tin Tin and Ohana,”

The flight was a smooth one. Not as smooth as Naomi’s flight from America to Tracy Island the first time, but still pretty smooth. They landed in LA. John said goodbye to the three ladies before actually flying to Kansas. Someone had to keep up appearances. Tin Tin, Ohana and Naomi were greeted by the bridesmaids.  
“Ohana and Tin Tin, these wonderful people are Megan Greenwood, Caitlin Falconer, Siobhan Coulson and Emma Wood. Megan, as you know is a doctor, Caitlin has a successful restaurant chain, Siobhan is a Biology teacher and Emma, last I heard, is still doing a music degree,” Naomi introduced her bridesmaids to the two females who had a lot of input in the Tracy family’s island life “Guys, this Ohana Kyrano and her daughter Tin Tin. They live on Tracy Island and work with the Tracy’s,” Naomi’s friends and the Kyrano’s got to know each other.  
“We should get going,” Siobhan spoke up “My friend’s shop closes at two and she said she could keep it open another hour just for us,”   
“If you’re telling us that you want to get going,” Naomi told her friend “Then you haven’t changed one bit since college,”  
“Actually – my friend text me a few minutes before your plane landed,” Siobhan laughed “Plus aren’t we missing someone?”  
“All the wedding party is here though,” Emma frowned “We have the bride, the Maid of Honour, the bridesmaids and the flower girl,”  
“We’re missing Lady Penelope,” Tin Tin spoke up “She should be here,”  
“Sorry I’m late,” A feminine British accent spoke up “Parker had a terrible time trying to find a park here,” The wedding party turned around to see a fashionably dressed woman with long blonde hair followed by an older man who was dressed smartly.  
“’Orrible parking this airport does,” The man agreed “Miss Kyrano, Mrs Kyrano. Lovely to see you again,”  
“You too Parker,” The Kyrano women replied in unison.   
“Lady Penelope and Parker are good friends to the Tracy Family. Both Virgil and Scott assure me that she has excellence taste in clothes which is why I invited her,” Naomi introduced her friends to friends of her future family “They were not wrong – you look wonderfully amazing Lady Penelope,”   
“Thank you, Naomi,” Lady Penelope smiled “Our ride is awaiting ladies, I believe we need to get going,”

Linda Irwin was in the same high school class as Cameron Muter. Admittedly, she had hooked up with him during a few parties. Drunk. Sober. Tipsy. It didn’t matter. She lusted after him. Then college came. Or in Cameron’s case, the Navy or something water based organisation. They went their separate ways. Linda still lusted after him. She hadn’t seen him since high school graduation. At she hadn’t until two weeks ago. Cameroon looked much older but still looked has good looking as ever. It would be lying if Linda had said she didn’t want to take him right there and then to the alley behind her store. Making small conversation, Linda asked what had brought Cameron to the store. Was it to book a slot for his daughter so she could be beautiful for her wedding day? Cameron shook his head. Maybe it was for his future bride? Again, Cameron shook his head. He said his cousin’s daughter was friends with Naomi Winchester and he was double checking the date and time for the fittings for her. While there were obvious repercussions for sharing this information with outsiders given the nature of the bride’s new status in society, Linda saw nothing wrong with sharing with Cameron. She told him everything about the fitting – the number of people expected at the fitting, the time of the fitting and even which dresses Linda and her co-manager Jane were thinking about showing the party. Cameron thanked her for her time and left the store. Now she was waiting for that party. They were five minutes late. And so was Jane.   
“Sorry, sorry,” Jane apologised, coming to a stop next to Linda “My bus was late,” Public transport. Always unreliable. Always a good excuse. Linda huffed.  
“Just remember to lock it up tight. We have priceless dresses in here. Miss Winchester may choose a dress tonight and we do not want the Tracy bride to have her dress stolen,”   
“I have it under control Linda,” Jane said, “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had the rich and or famous come into our store,” Jane smiled sweetly. Linda rolled her eyes and left. Linda ran into a group of people coming into the store.  
“Watch where you’re going,” She hissed and pushed through the group.

Naomi came out of the dressing room for the third time. She did not like this dress. Too much poof.  
“No. Take it off,” Tin Tin said straight away “That is not you,” The rest of the group agreed. Naomi turned to the rack of dresses. She skimmed through the dresses. Naomi picked one from the rack.  
“I think this is the only one I want to try left,” She smiled and took a deep breath. Naomi went back into the dressing rooms. 10 minutes later, she came out. The dress she had chosen was tight fitting around the torso and waist and slowly became less skin tight as it went further down. It was strapless but the wedding party could see the white bra straps.   
“I think this is it,” Naomi declared “Just needs some straps but this is it,”  
“What about your scar?” Caitlin asked, “You never used to wear anything shorter than ¾ sleeves at college,”  
“Things have changed since college Kit,” Naomi smiled “And Virg and I decided on the date to be the same as the crash. And as much as I hate the crash, if the crash didn’t happen I wouldn’t have meet any of you guys. I wouldn’t have meet my best friend. I wouldn’t have meet my fiancé. I wouldn’t have meet the rest of my life,”  
“I’m so glad you liked it. We’ll get someone in at some point and we add the straps for you,” Jane said, smiling.

Cameron Muter was not above using Linda Irwin’s lust for his own advantage. The day after the Tracy bride’s fitting he popped into her shop again. He said his cousin’s daughter had left something behind after the fitting. Linda had no problem taking him to see the dress. It turns out that someone else had in fact left a clutch at the fitting so the employee with the group had kept the dress and the clutch together. This gave Cameron the perfect opportunity to place a bug into the dress. Eventually the bride would retrieve the dress and the bug would pick up location and sound. It would help The Voice with everything that was going down.


	7. Chapter 7

Naomi had heard of the hydrofoil accident that nearly cost Gordon Tracy his life. She hadn’t been in his life back then, but she still remembered breaking down in tears on her couch when the news displayed the wreck and the photo of Gordon looking spiffing in his WASP issued uniform even with his cheeky grin. She still remembered needing to take the day off work the following day to process. Scott remembered being in New York visiting the aerodynamics division in the Tracy Enterprises when he got the phone call from his dad. He clearly remembered his dad’s first words. It’s Gordon. Solemn. On the verge of tears. Heart shattering. Scott quickly left. He was the closest. And Scott had to be there when Gordon woke up. John had heard the mayday calls from Thunderbird 5 but it was too late for International Rescue to intervene. The hydrofoil had already been destroyed. John put everything else on the back burner and just listened. It was all he could do. Just float in space and listen. He’d heard the rescuers call for an immediate medivac – someone had been found alive. Barely. John doesn’t remember much after that. He doesn’t remember the three separate times that his dad tried to get in contact with him. All John can recall is the deep need for the rescued to be Gordon. Virgil was the only brother on Tracy Island when Jeff Tracy got the call. Virgil remembered it being a calm day rescue wise. Which was good because neither Virgil nor Jeff liked only having two field members on the island. Virgil remember the knock on his bedroom door. It was only one rap. Enough to dislodge him from his concentration. Virgil remembers wanting to give a stern talking to whoever had knocked. But as he looked in his father’s eyes, Virgil dropped his pencil. He was pretty sure that the point snapped but a lot of what followed was blurred by emotions. Alan was pulled out of Science early. It was odd. Nothing had gone wrong and Alan was 87% certain he hadn’t done anything stupid. The headmaster looked sombre when Alan entered. Alan had only ever seen the headmaster angry or the pinnacle of emotionless. He was the one to break the news to Alan that Gordon was in a coma. Gordon was Alan’s closest brother. Scott and John were his heroes. Virgil was the one he’d always go to for advice. Gordon was just more. Gordon was the one who knew how to make him laugh. Gordon was the one who knew how to get in trouble and then somehow escape the punishment. Gordon was the one who’d shown him a lot about the world growing up. Alan didn’t know what to do. The headmaster told him to pack his bags. The headmaster had arranged a car to the airport where he would wait for one of the Tracy planes to arrive. Gordon doesn’t remember the crash at all. He’s pretty sure that, from what he’d been told about the crash, he was high on adrenaline right up until he was rescued. He’s also pretty sure that it wasn’t just him alive. But he can never be sure. Gordon has woken up to nightmares about the crash and his dead crew mates more times than he’d like to admit to himself and to his family. What Gordon does know for certain is the pain and the lack of pain. It was frightening when he was told he’d never would walk again. But it explained why he couldn’t feel anything past his hips. His brothers had taken turns to be with him. Gordon asked Scott about his time in the Air Force – surely Scott knew some miracle stories about people recovering. He didn’t but it did make Gordon feel better hearing about how Scott and his squadron had been grounded after members in the squadron had gotten mumps. John sat there. Then he spoke about how he heard the mayday calls in Thunderbird 5. He spoke about how no matter how rich their family was and how fast International Rescue was, John couldn’t do anything. And then John broke down crying. Gordon had never seen John crack. And it caused him to cry with John. When Virgil came to visit, Virgil just pulled his immediate younger brother into a hug. Virgil gave the best hugs in the family. Maybe it was because he was the middle child. Maybe it was because he was ultimately the strongest of the five brothers which made you feel five times more safer. The two brothers stayed that way for a long time before Virgil let go. Alan just sat there. It was quiet. It was awkward. Gordon didn’t know what to say to comfort his brother. Alan didn’t know what to do. Eventually, Gordon found out how to ease his brothers. Gordon told Scott his fears. Gordon forgave John for doing nothing because it was entirely out of John’s hand what happened. Gordon thanked Virgil. Gordon apologised to Alan. And that’s when the healing processed started.

Even now, almost three years on, the Tracy family was scarred by the hydrofoil crash. Together with the families of the other WASP cadets and Instructors, they were able to get the accident report, and all other documents pertaining to the crash, public giving closure to the families and to Gordon who needed to know the truth. Gordon had agreed to release some of his medical records to go with the report. Everyone involved with the project got a copy of the documents two days before the public got it, giving time for the families to prepare. To give Gordon time to prepare. Gordon, along with Naomi and Scott, were flying to New York the day before the public release so that Gordon could give an interview. Gordon was not looking forward to this but as the only survivor, Gordon felt he had no choice. Someone had to speak up about the findings. 

“He’s not ready for this,” Jeff said as he looked at his fourth son leaning on the balcony as he looked at the sea.  
“I don’t think anyone is truly ready for this Dad,” Scott said, “There is so much that could be revealed in this report. Every single family is afraid that their someone was the cause. Was it one of the navigators who purposely put the hydrofoil off course? Was it one of the pilots who did? We don’t know,”  
“We will soon,”  
“I just hope none of the families are ashamed by the report,”

John read his copy of the accident report with a strong cup of coffee in Thunderbird 5. He’d put the ‘bird on automatic relay back to Tracy Island, knowing it would be better to have an alert go off in a crowd of people rather than just him. Alan, home for the summer holidays, decided he didn’t want to read the report knowing full well that he could easily get the summed-up version later. He gave Naomi his tablet to read the report, knowing she would be going nuts not reading it. She sat at the breakfast bar, the bench covered by paper notes, highlighters and her laptop. She was looking for any loopholes and legal stuff. Scott, Jeff and Gordon sat around a coffee table; a bottle of Scotch and three glasses in the centre. Virgil sat on the couch as he flipped through the report. His eyes picking up all the mechanical information. Brains and the Kyrano family didn’t go to the main villa. The Tracy family needed to be alone. At 5pm, the family convened in the control centre. John was present by hologram. Naomi had notes with her, ready to share her findings. Jeff and Virgil knew that the other knew what they knew regarding the hydrofoil. Scott had already drunken to glasses of scotch. Gordon had been tempted to join his oldest brother but knew he needed to be sober for the conversation. Alan was ready to listen to the summary.  
“So…” Gordon started.  
“It was a mechanical failure,” Scott finished “100% not any of the cadet crews’ fault,”  
“Yeah,” Gordon agreed.  
“That being said, the experienced engineer instructors should have noticed the fault,” Jeff said.  
“Actually, the engineering instructors weren’t as experienced as they usually are. They were barely older than John,” Naomi said, “Not that age should have anything to do with experience, but the report does say that out of the five instructors, only one of them had been on active duty and the other four had worked for only five years all together,”  
“Plus, the tail flap was never meant to be that severely tampered with. Anyone that inexperienced would not think to double check and even if they did do a double check, the tampering must have happened after it,” Virgil added.  
“That’s great,” Gordon scoffed “There’s no security footage in the engine rooms. You’d never know who did,”  
“True,” Scott agreed “But we can be 80% certain that it wasn’t any of the cadets – you weren’t allowed in the engine room until well after the foil left port. The person who damaged the tail flap had to have done it before the foil left otherwise their plan would have never worked out for them”  
“Whoever did this, when they’re found can be given a trail in martial court of law but can be given a trial in an everyday court should there be any reason for it,” Naomi said, “There’s 24 possible charges of murder, 1 charge of attempted murder and most probably a sabotage charge as well to be given should we decide,”  
“They must have been very good with computers. The navigation box is almost as complicated as the one we use of Five. I dread the days I have to do maintenance on it,” John provided the next point of conversation.  
“Therefore, it’s likely that none of the cadets did it because none of them have any notes in their personal files indicating that they have the skill level required,” Naomi concluded.  
“And what about the mayday call? I wasn’t the one who made it,” Gordon said “There was someone else alive on the foil. And they died,” This was what John was afraid of. Weeks after the hydrofoil crash, he’d toiled through the audio file of the mayday call trying to match it to any of Gordon’s recent files. There just weren’t any matches. But John had kept denying it to himself. With the release of the report, John had no choice but to admit there had been one other initial survivor. John also knew that if he was beating himself up about that survivor, the personal beat down for Gordon was much worse.  
“At least they were alive,” Naomi said, “If they hadn’t made the call, I don’t think you would have been in a position to make it when you did wake up. You would be dead,” Naomi had said the one thing that everyone in the room was thinking. Gordon would be dead. He should have died. But he wasn’t. And it made the silence thicker.  
“I’m going for a walk,” Gordon said. He got up and left the room. Scott started to get up but Virgil grabbed his shoulder.  
“He needs some space Scott. Right now, none us are in the right position to have a heart to heart with him,” Scott sat back down knowing the middle Tracy brother was right. 

Two days later Naomi, Scott and Gordon were in New York. They were there to meet with some of the other families to give an interview about the report. There were only two other people being interviewed besides Scott and Gordon; a young woman in her late 20s who had known Max Singer and Aspen Bartleet and the father of Jack Evans. The four had agreed to meet at the studio. Naomi drove the car as she was going to get her wedding dress but would be back in time for end second half of the interview. Gordon was nervous about meeting his crewmates families. Did they resent him for being alive when their boy was dead? Scott was just as nervous but for a different reason. The Tracy family was powerful. Their name was a brand. Their money was worth everything and nothing at the same time. Scott knew that the media was cruel. He knew that one wrong misstep was going to cost the family. They’d gone from a simple family to basically royalty in the eyes of the public. And everything now mattered. Look good. Say the right things. And whatever you do, don’t make a fool out of yourself. It was matter of reputation that Tracy Enterprises could secretly fund International Rescue. One false move and suddenly, International Rescue may find themselves unable to launch Thunderbird 2. There’s only so much that one can do in these situations. Slowly over the years the oldest three brothers and their father had crafted their media personalities. Jeff, the caring father but strong CEO. Scott, the most responsible but known for his tenancy to have the loudest laugh on set when something funny was said. John the aloof brother; straight to the point whenever he gave a rare interview. Virgil – kind, loving, poetic. Knew when to be played by the hosts and when to play the hosts. Gordon had started to have a form his own personality after the Olympics; flirty, openminded and charming. Scott wasn’t sure that person Gordon was on stage would last during today’s interview. He wasn’t sure his own would either. Naomi dropped the brothers off at the set, promising to be in the wings by the end of the shoot. She gave a comforting hug to Gordon and Scott before getting back into the car and driving to the airport to pick up her dress. An assistant meet Gordon and Scott and showed them to the makeup area where they would be touched up so that the set lights would cause their skin complexion to look pale. Scott needed more than Gordon due to his light skin tone. This was where they meet Ashley Jameson, the friend, and Connor Jacks, the father. There were hugs given. Connor had given Gordon a long and tight bear hug. It was reassuring for Gordon. Then the four were ushered onto the set. There were three two seater couches forming a semi-circle around a coffee table. The hosts were going to be seated in the one to the viewer’s left, the Tracy brothers in the centre and Ashley and Connor on the right. There were quick last-minute touch ups as everyone took their place. The Interview was a live one; millions of Americans would be watching with billions around the world streaming.   
“In 3. 2. 1,” The director counted down.  
“Good Morning America!” The male host started “I’m Harry Hines”  
“And I’m Freya Burnell,” the female host introduced herself “Today is the day of the public release of the accident report of the WASP hydrofoil where 24 men and women lost their lives. Families of the decease and the one survivor had called for an investigation and this is the result of it,”  
“Today in the studio with have with us Ashley Jameson and Connor Jacks as well as the survivor Gordon Tracy and Gordon’s older brother Scott,” Harry said “Thank you coming in today. We know this must have been a trying time for you and the rest of the families,”  
“Thanks Harry,” Ashley jumped right in “It was a very hard getting the report but it brings closure for those who lost someone and it also identifies problems and issues that we hope will be fixed so this tragedy doesn’t happen again,”  
“So, Harry and I have read the report and we have to ask, what are you going to do now? The possibility that one of the experienced crew members caused the crash is very high,” Ashley, Connor and Scott exchanged brief looks before Scott spoke up.  
“One of my other brother’s fiancée studied criminal law at college and she said the possibility that if it was one of the crewmen and they were still alive, they could face 24 murder charges, a charge for attempted murder and maybe even some sabotage charges,”  
“It’s very obvious in the report that there is enough evidence to know it was intentional so hopefully it means that we could have had a conviction,” Ashley continued.  
“What about you Gordon? Being the only survivor of the crash, this report must have been hard,” Harry asked. Gordon looked at him dead in the eye.  
“I’ve read the report more times than I’d like to. It was hard. But according to the report I didn’t start out being the only survivor. I’m thankful for the person who sent out the mayday. I probably would have died and missed out on so much without it. I also am sorry for the families who see my face and wonder what their sons, daughters, brothers or sisters would have done and seen,” Gordon said “I’m about to be a groomsman at my brother’s wedding. One of my closer crew mates, Le Roy Carter had come back from leave and announced he was getting married. He never got the chance to say I do. A lot won’t get that chance. But now, knowing exactly what happened it’s slightly helped the guilt,” Scott put an arm around Gordon’s shoulder.  
“What else would you like the report to do?” Freya asked. She looked uncomfortable.  
“The report has pointed out some flaws in the machine which we as the representatives of the family hope that can be fixed or prevented,” Ashley replied.  
“I know personally, my family hopes that WASP and other defence groups like the Air Force, Navy and Army will take aboard the recommendations for security,” Scott also answered.  
“Well thank you for coming in today. We hope that your wishes for the report do happen,” Harry said, “I’m Harry Hines,”  
“And I’m Freya Burnell and this was Good Morning America!”   
“And we’re off,” The director called. Freya and Harry quickly got up and their smiles dropped. They rushed off the stage, leaving the two Tracy brothers and Ashley and Connor alone. They too were soon kicked off the stage and onto the wings. Naomi was waiting for them. She pulled Gordon into a silent hug. They just hugged for a few minutes.   
“You were brave,” She whispered as they let go. The hugs didn’t stop there. Ashley grabbed Gordon’s shoulders to turn him around.  
“I’m sorry,” She said as she pulled him into a hug.   
“Let’s go to lunch together – we’ll talk more,” Connor said as the two disengaged the hug.   
“Good idea,” Scott agreed.

It was one of her days off that the interview happened. Stassia, who was often interested in the affairs of the world, watched it on her laptop. She knew Gordon was going to be on the interview. He’d texted her the night before saying he was a little nervous about it. She had spent most of the night texting back forward about the interview. Stassia just didn’t realise just how emotional the situation was for Gordon. She quickly sent him a text saying she was proud of him. Gordon texted back a quick thanks. Stassia made a quick note to text him that night for a better rundown on his feelings.

Cameron watched the interview. Gordon Tracy hadn’t done much talking. The only time that he did was just talking about the guilt he felt. It almost made Cameron feel guilty about killing everyone else. Almost. His bug had also picked up a change of location from the dress shop in LA to an airport in New York. It heard a voice that the computer recognised as Naomi Winchester. She was taking it back to the island that her fiancé’s family owned. Cameron’s and The Voice’s plans were going just as they had planned. 

Gordon had decided to stay a few days in New York while Scott and Naomi headed back to Tracy Island. Naomi had slipped him some paper with a few numbers on it. Gordon could easily guess who they were for; one with a Kansas area code was more than likely Naomi’s old psychiatrist from when she was younger and the one with a Washington DC area code for someone Naomi used to work with. Stassia had a few numbers she also wanted to give Gordon when he was ready for it. Gordon knew it was for the best that he talked to someone. He knew what could possibly happen. His Dad probably wanted the next set of physicals to include a psych eval. He’d be ready for it. Eventually. Gordon’s phone vibrated. It was from Stassia.  
You want to go for hot chocolate?  
Gordon smiled. Stassia always knew exactly what to say at the right time.


	8. Chapter 8

Naomi was typing up the final wedding perpations on her laptop when Scott came to sit down next to her.  
“You’re not spying on this for Virgil, are you?” Naomi asked.   
“No. I came to talk to you,” Scott laughed “I wanted to ask for some advice,”  
“That’s something you haven’t done in a while,” Naomi said. Scott nodded.   
“Well I thought I’d get your opinion on what to do seeing as your…”  
“No way,” Naomi smiled, closing her laptop “You’re going to ask Megan to marry you. But that means you have to tell her. But that’s gonna mean a lot of planning. And what if she doesn’t say yes? What if she’s not happy with you being International Rescue?”  
“That’s why I wanted to ask you,” Scott said, “What should I do?”  
“What’s her opinion?” Naomi asked, “That can make all the difference,”  
“She likes International Rescue. Wishes she could somehow help out medically speaking,”  
“Good, good. I mean you have a good chance with her,”   
“You have an idea?”  
“Do both at the same time,”  
“No,”  
“Yes,”  
“Dad will possibly kill me if I took Thunderbird 1 out on a joy ride,”  
“Ground you maybe not kill you. Besides – you do it on your way back from a rescue if you’re not covered in everything,”  
“That’s a reasonable idea,” Scott thought about it “But we’d need to do it out of town. How am I supposed to do that?”  
“I could get her out of New York,” Naomi shrugged “Maid of Honour stuff,”  
“You are a genius,” Scott smiled “But can’t you come on the next rescue?”  
“Yep, but Virgil can drop me off at that cabin you always take her to on the way there. Get her to come out. He can pick me up when you arrive – Thunderbird 2 is slower than Thunderbird 1 after all,”   
“I should ask Dad about it. Make sure it’s okay,”   
“For once in your life Scott Carpenter just rush in and disregard authority,” Naomi rolled her eyes “Love is uncontrollable. Love is unpredictable. Love is everything,” An alarm went off.  
“Ready?” Scott asked as he got up.  
“More than I am prepared,”

“There is a sinking ship containing five barrels of highly toxic chemical waste in the Mediterranean,” John explained “There was a crew of seven aboard with no way to escape. The lifeboats are not able to deploy with their emergency overrides. I can’t do anything, not even with Thunderbird 5’s technology,”  
“With Gordon gone, I want Alan to be ready to pilot Thunderbird 4. Naomi, for now you are just going to help with the rescue platform and piloting Thunderbird 2,” Suddenly, a phone went off. Naomi pulled hers out.  
“Hello, Winchester, speaking,” Naomi answered “What do you mean Claire? The flowers aren’t going to be able delivered in time? And the decorations? Oh. Actually, I was just about head to America anyway. I’ll get there as soon as possible,”   
“What’s up? Is everything okay with the wedding plans?” Virgil asked.  
“No,” Naomi sighed “Flowers are not going to be delivered on time and some of the decorations have been ruined so I need to go to America to fix some details. Is it possible for me to catch a ride?”  
“America is on the way anyway. We could drop her off at the cabin,” Scott suggested.  
“Good idea. Alan you’re on standby for Thunderbird 4. Tin Tin I need you to help Virgil pilot,” Jeff agreed “Thunderbirds are Go!”

Naomi sat in the passenger seat of Thunderbird 2. She had grabbed her go bag and texted Megan the address of the cabin. She’d also texted John and Virgil the plan. Tin Tin and Alan were doing their usual in-flight checks and readings of the situation as Virgil landed Thunderbird 2 to the ground near the cabin.  
“I’ll see you in a few hours,” Naomi kissed Virgil on the cheek “Stay safe all of you,”

“What’s so urgent that you need the Maid of Honour?” Megan asked an hour into her time at the Tracy cabin.  
“Just the last few touches to the wedding and the Bachelorette party,” Naomi replied, “It is less than two weeks away after all,”  
“Surely you could have handled that on your own?”  
“Now where the fun in that be? Besides – the Bachelorette party should have been your doing not mine,”  
“I’m sorry,” Megan laughed.   
“Just sit down and help me,”

“Hey Commander,” Alan’s voice echoed through Virgil’s coms “I’ve found the last barrel of waste,”  
“Okay Op 5, Op 3 I need you to position Thunderbird 2 over Alan’s position. Op 1 I need you down with Op 5. Op 6 in Thunderbird 1 will collect the rest of the passengers,” Jeff commanded from Tracy Island.  
“FAB Commander,” All of the members of International Rescue agreed. Virgil flew Thunderbird 2 into position. From the cockpit, he saw Scott jetpack down from Thunderbird 1 to the ship. A few seconds later, Virgil saw Tin Tin go up to Thunderbird 1.  
“Hey Op 5, I’m in position. Ready when you are,” He let Alan know.  
“I need you to cut a bit off the ship away. We won’t be able to get the barrel out otherwise,” Scott informed Virgil.  
“FAB Op 1,”

It took two more hours for the passengers to be cleared. The toxic barrels had been cleared and Virgil had taken them to the nearest port so that the proper authorities could deal with. Jeff had given him permission to come home and with Tin Tin and Scott handling the last of passenger drop offs, Virgil sent a call ahead to Naomi to let her know they were coming back home.  
“So, Scotty’s getting married,” Alan said   
“Scooter is asking Megan to marry him. She hasn’t said yes yet,” Virgil corrected his little brother.  
“I like Megan. She’ll be a good match for Scott,”  
“She is, isn’t she?” Virgil agreed “I do hope she says yes. And everything goes well for Scott with you know,”  
“That would be horrible. I do not want a mopey Scott. You were bad enough,”  
“Shut up Sprout. You’re the lucky one here. Your girl was already inducted into the family secret well before you started dating,”  
“Maybe we should start with those you want to date knowing about this,”   
“With the amount of people that Gordon dates? Dad would have kittens,”   
“Well proportionally, since you and I are off the market and Scott is about to sell the deal and John is never down long enough to meet someone, Gordon dates enough for the four of us,” Virgil laughed.  
“Maybe we should figure something out. Eventually he may want to settle down with someone. John might be tempted to stay down for longer if he had his special someone. And I’m pretty sure Dad does not want a repeat of me and Naomi,”  
“I say minimum dating one year before they find out,” Alan suggested.  
“Scott and I didn’t date Megan and Naomi for a year,”  
“Okay. Minimum one year for Gordon then. He’s never held a relationship longer than eight months,”  
“I say six months for John,”  
“3 months if he’s always trying to get out of rotation to line his schedule up with theirs,”  
“How far out from the Cabin are you Virg?” Scott asked through the coms.  
“Two minutes. What about you?”  
“A minute, just starting landing procedures,”  
“We’ll be there soon. Good Luck,”  
“Thanks,”

Megan and Naomi had started to watch Spider Man Homecoming when the wind picked up. The pickup in wind was accompanied by a loud roar of engines. Megan paused the movie. She looked out the window and saw a distinctive Thunderbird starting to land.  
“Did someone call International Rescue?” Megan asked. Naomi shrugged, putting popcorn into her mouth.  
“We’re the only ones for miles,”  
“Did you call International Rescue?”  
“No,” Naomi’s phone started ringing “They called me,”  
“They called… what’s going on Naomi?”  
“Hello, Winchester, speaking,” Naomi answered her phone. Megan glared at her friend. She was annoyed that her friend was ignoring her questions. What sort of ex-FBI agent got called by International Rescue?  
“You want her come outside? Yeah, your dad would kill you if you dragged that into the cabin. Imagine the cleaning bill,”  
“Who is it Naomi? Who’s on the phone?”  
“Scott’s waiting for you outside. Virgil’s two minutes out. Thanks for coming out in such short notice,” Naomi hung up her call as she sat up “You’ve been the most amazing Maid of Honour,”  
“Naomi,” Megan used her sternest doctor voice.  
“Scott’s outside,” Naomi raised an eyebrow.  
“He’s… outside,” Naomi nodded.   
“Scott Tracy, my boyfriend is outside. Where Thunderbird 1 just landed,” Realisation dawned on Megan “That sneaky… You knew?”  
“For seven months yeah. Go chew him out,” Naomi raised her voice as the wind picked for the second time. Megan pushed herself off the couch and rushed out the cabin door just in time to see her boyfriend get out of the pilot seat of Thunderbird 1.

Scott could see Megan. He couldn’t read her emotions from her. He could also see Naomi standing in the doorway, waiting for Thunderbird 2’s cargo pod to open.  
“Scott Carpenter Tracy!” Megan yelled.  
“Hey Megs,” Scott said sheepishly “Surprise?” He walked closer to his girlfriend.  
“I am not surprise you idiot!” Megan said “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? This is why you haven’t been able to come out a lot?” Scott nodded.  
“I didn’t tell…”  
“I forgive you for not telling me you dumbass,” Megan smiled “You save people every day. You’re also the son of a billionaire. I understand the need for keeping it a secret,” She hugged her boyfriend.  
“Thanks,” Scott whispered, “You’re taking this a whole lot better than Naomi did,”  
“Of course, I am. She found out mid rescue – during the rescue at that airport in Washington, right? The one where she lugged that member of International Rescue out from the rubble,” The two separated and looked each other in the eyes.   
“True,”  
“So, any reason why you’re telling me this now?” Scott started to feel his heartbeat rise. He fumbled with the clasp to the pocket containing the box. After a few tries he got it and pulled out the box. Getting on one knee he opened it and presented it to Megan.  
“Doctor Megan Louise Greenwood, will you do the honour of marrying me?” Megan looked at Scott, looked at the ring and then back at Scott.  
“Yes,” She whispered “Yes, I will,” She bent down and kissed Scott.  
“She said yes!” Naomi yelled “Go, go, go!” Megan and Scott broke their kiss to see Naomi running for the pod. Scott turned around in time to see his pilot chair connect back with the main body of Thunderbird 1.  
“We better get into the cabin,” Scott said, handing the ring box to Megan. He grabbed her hand and started running.

“Where’s Scott?” Jeff asked when Alan, Tin Tin, Virgil and Naomi came back from the bays.  
“He’s with Megan,” Alan said, rushing past his father in an attempt to get at the showers first.  
“Afternoon Mr Tracy,” Tin Tin said as she too headed for the showers. Jeff turned to his middle son and his fiancée.  
“Wedding stuff,” Naomi shrugged.  
“I thought your wedding planning was finished,”  
“Oh, it is. But the wedding stuff is not ours,” Virgil laughed. Naomi smiled. Jeff looked at the couple.   
“He proposed?”  
“Do I need to take a shower?” Virgil asked. He made it past his father and headed for his showers.  
“She said yes by the way,” Naomi said, “We took the ‘birds so the lovebirds could spend some quality time together,”


	9. Chapter 9

All sorts of social media sites had the hashtag ‘Trachester’ trending the two days before what the press could only describe as the biggest wedding since Prince William and Kate’s. For Americans, it was a basically a royal wedding. Of course, no one knew where the wedding was happening. The happy couple had kept that detail a secret with Naomi promising that they would publish wedding photos so that the public would have their fill. The Bachelor and Bachelorette parties were held and both parties had fun. The Bride’s party was the first to arrive in New Zealand. They had booked a few hotel rooms across the road from Matamata’s shopping centre. Perfect for last minute snack runs. The Groom’s party arrived in New Zealand the day before the wedding. Their hotel was on the main street, located directly opposite from Matamata Primary. Other guests for the wedding couldn’t find much accommodation in the area so many opted to stay in Hamilton, the nearest big city or in Auckland two hours away from the small rural town. Lady Penelope had offered FAB 1 as the wedding vehicle so Parker and she had decided to stay at the same hotel as the Bride’s party. Everything was going to plan.

In Naomi’s hotel room, Naomi and her friends were putting the final touches to their makeup and dresses. Bouquets were adjusted. And Naomi was nervous as she looked in the mirror. What if she tripped over while walking down the asile? What if she mucked up the vows?   
“You ready for this?” Caitlin asked, putting a hand on Naomi’s shoulder.  
“Yeah. No. Yes. Just nervous,” Naomi replied.   
“You’ve faced worse. Marriage is not facing several baddies to save one civilian. It’s two people promising their lives to each other, helping to build something new,” Siobhan said.  
“I know,”  
“M’lady,” Parker announced as he entered the hotel room “Your car awaits,” Naomi turned from the mirror and faced her bridesmaids.   
“You can do it,” Megan said.   
“You’re ready,” Emma agreed.

Cameron watched from his hotel room. He’d chosen to stay at the same hotel as the bride. Phase one of The Voice’s plans was to kidnap Gordon Tracy, then slowly work the way up the chain. Virgil Tracy. The soon to be Naomi Tracy. John Tracy. Scott Tracy. And finally, little Alan Tracy. Jeff Tracy would be crushed, unable to find his precious family. Then International Rescue would cease operations. Then one by one, they’d all die. The Voice would get what he wanted. Cameron would get the exposure of International Rescue. But for now, Cameron would let the family have their little slice of heaven. So, Cameron watched the bride’s party get into two separate cars. Three bridesmaids – College Student Wood, Miss Coulson, Chef Falconer – got into the first car. A simple black car. The bride and Maid of Honour got into the pink six wheeled Rolls Royce owned by Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward with Lady Penelope’s butler driving. He watched the bride’s party leave the hotel area. Cameron hoped that their happiness was worth it.

“You ready little brother?” Scott asked.  
“I was ready when I proposed,” Virgil answered. That was true. He was ready to marry the love of his life. But he was nervous.  
“You were ready since she rescued me in New York,” Gordon rolled his eyes as he adjusted a cuff link.   
“You’re nervous,” John concluded. Virgil raised an eyebrow.  
“I work in communications. You learn to pick up a few emotional queues,”  
“You’re gonna be fine Virg,” Alan said “You’re nervous which is totally natural. It’s your big day. You don’t want to mess up,”  
“Alan’s more ready for this wedding than I feel I am,” Virgil commented.  
“Don’t let Dad hear you say that. He’ll have kittens,” Scott laughed. There was a knock on the door.  
“Speak of the man,” Gordon muttered, getting up from the bed he was perched on. He opened the door.  
“It’s time,” Jeff said “Let’s get going. Don’t want the bride to beat us,”

Dean Turner was old. Not old as in greying hair, dentures and decaying body, but old as in he’d seen a lot and done a lot. Dean and Julie couldn’t have kids; both were too old. But Dean had a kid. Sure, he was a member of her family, but he wasn’t her father. He was her uncle. He hadn’t been there for the birth of his niece. He’d only seen her a few times in person. He wrote a letter every Christmas to her along with some money for birthdays and Christmas. Dean got a letter back every year in his sister’s handwriting. It had been a stroke of bad luck that had caused Dean to get more involved with Naomi Winchester. Naomi became Dean’s daughter – he was the one who taught her how to drive, the one who watched her drive off at sunrise to California for college. He was the one who was giving her away at her wedding. He was nervous. His niece was all grown up. She was going to start a family.   
“She’s your daughter as much as she is your sister’s,” Julie slipped her hand into Dean’s.   
“You always know what I’m thinking,” Dean smiled.  
“That’s because I know you,”   
“That you do,” Dean agreed. He saw the groom’s party entre the church. Jeff Tracy let his sons go in and walked over to Julie and Dean.   
“Today’s the day,” Jeff said.  
“Yeah. Wish Ruth and Maurice were here to see their little girl,”  
“Lucille would have loved to be here too,”  
“I better get inside, she’s meant to be here any second from now,” Julie kissed her husband and went inside the church.  
“I always thought this day would have turned out differently,” Dean said “I would be sitting in one of the front rows next to my sister and nephew. It would be Maurice waiting out here for her,”   
“So did I. But this is what the day is and it’s just as marvellous,” A car drew closer.  
“You better get inside Jeff,” Dean said, “They’re here,” Jeff nodded and went into the church. Two cars pulled into Matamata Bible Church’s undercover driveway. The first car was black, and Dean knew Naomi’s bridesmaids Emma, Caitlin and Siobhan were sitting in there. The second car was pink – something that Dean could never see on a Rolls Royce again – and Naomi and Megan were sitting in the back seat. Dean opened the door for the black car and helped the three bridesmaids out of the car. The man Dean had been introduced to as Parker helped Naomi and Megan out of the pink car. Parker nodded at Dean. Dean nodded back.  
“Afternoon Uncle Dean,” Naomi smiled at her uncle.  
“Hey Garden Gnome,” Dean smiled back “You look wonderful,” Dean held out his arm and Naomi looped hers around it. Megan passed Naomi a bouquet of white flowers.   
“Thanks Uncle Dean,” Emma and Caitlin started walking towards the door, Siobhan and Megan falling instep behind them.  
“You ready?” Dean asked. Naomi nodded, and they too walked towards the door.

Virgil looked at the doors that lead to the church auditorium. Through the clear windows he could see some of Naomi’s bridesmaids walking towards the doors. It was actually happening. The doors opened. The bride’s party came through them. Virgil shallowed. The bridesmaids wore light purple dresses. The dresses matched the ties Virgil’s brothers wore. The flowers they had were white. A blank slate. That was one of the themes Naomi and Virgil had interwoven into their wedding. The date. The white flowers holding the green and purple ribbons. Music started playing. Naomi was led in by her uncle. She looked beautiful. Well, she always looked beautiful, but she looked extremely beautiful in her wedding dress. People, friends and family, stood up and looked at the bride. Virgil took a deep breath as the bridesmaid lined up along the stairs. Caitlin across from Alan. Emma across from Gordon. Siobhan across from John. Megan across from Scott. Virgil watched Dean shake Jeff’s hand. Dean walked up the stairs towards Virgil. Virgil shook Dean’s hand. Dean then turned to Naomi and helped her up the stairs. The uncle hugged his niece and went to sit next to his wife.  
“Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, today we celebrate the joining of Virgil Tracy and Naomi Winchester in holy matrimony,”

“Do you, Naomi Elizabeth Winchester, take Virgil Grissom Tracy to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to hold even in sickness and death,”   
“I do,”  
“And do you, Virgil Grissom Tracy, take Naomi Elizabeth Winchester to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to hold even in sickness and death,”  
“I do,”  
“Then by the power vested in me by the Holy Spirit, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” Virgil and Naomi kissed each other for the first time as husband and wife. The crowd of people who had come for the wedding stood up and cheered. Dean and Julie Winchester and Jeff Tracy had tears in their eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

There had been an hour gap between the wedding and the reception. This was for the wedding photos and for everyone to slip into something different for the reception. Naomi and her bridesmaids had decided to change into purple dresses that made it easier for them to dance. Virgil and his brothers just decided to get rid of the ties. The reception was to be held at the Green Dragon Inn, one of the many attractions at the Hobbiton farm 10 kilometres from Matamata. 

One of the first jobs of the newly wedded was to mingle with their guests. Naomi, not wanting to mingle for long, found the group of guys who thought it would be funny to wear badges saying, ‘Bride Protection Squad’ to the reception. Of course, Naomi couldn’t blame them. Nico Solace, Will di Angelo, Chase Flaggon, Connor Jones and Archie Roy were the closest thing she had to family when she was living and working in Washington. The team had gone through a lot together. Nico and Will had come prepared with fake HR forms for Naomi and Virgil to fill out so that they could be filled into Naomi’s personnel file back at the FBI. Chase had brought the happy couple a first add kit that his wife had designed. It wasn’t a real first add kit but rather small knick knacks that were reminders about how life was an adventure and you had to look after yourself and others. Virgil and Naomi stayed with the team for a long time, not caring about the time spent with five guys.  
“You did it captain,” Archie said, “You got married,”  
“Yep,” Naomi kissed Virgil “I did that,”  
“Yes, you did,” Virgil agreed.  
“Virg, Naomi it’s time for the toasts,” Scott, tapped his little brother on the shoulder.   
“Excuse us,” Naomi told her former team mates. The happy couple made their way to the front of the Green Dragon where most of the wedding party was sitting. Scott took a seat to the left of the main chairs. Naomi took the one on the right while Virgil called the party to silence.   
“Thank you all for coming,” Virgil said “My wife and I know a lot of you have travelled great distance to be here today. It is greatly appreciated. I believe there are some speeches to be said but after that, there will be dancing, so please enjoy the night,” The gathered people clapped as Virgil sat down and Scott stood up.  
“I’ve known both Naomi and Virgil for most of my life. I was five when Virgil was born and almost a year after that, I meet Naomi. Virg – you have the hardest job of all us brothers; making sure that John and I don’t get to big for our boots and keeping Alan and Gordon in line,” There was some disagreement from Gordon “But you’re always there for us. Naomi – you have the hardest job that I’ve ever seen; making sure that Virgil is okay. He’s a tough cookie but he’s got a tender heart. So, it’s understandable that you both forgot to plan for a cake,”  
“We forgot the cake,” Naomi whispered to her husband.  
“We forgot the cake,” Virgil agreed.  
“Which is why the wedding present from myself and Megan is a wedding cake because you can’t have a wedding without it,” Two staff members rolled a trolley in front of the main table. On the trolley was a three-tier cake. On the top tier, the traditional Groom and Bride figures stood still. But that was about as traditional as it got; the white icing had been almost completely covered by purple and green fondant that trickled down the sides of the cake.  
“Go on you two lovebirds,” Gordon called out “Some of us want cake!” The reception attenders laughed. Naomi and Virgil got out of their seats to go cut the cake.

Cameron was manning the bar. It had been rather easy to convince one of the staff members to go for a little nap while he covered his shift. Cameron suffered through the speeches. The tears flowing from the bride’s uncle towards the end of his speech. Jeff Tracy’s long one full of wisdom. The speech from some random that Cameron assumed was one of the cousins that the bride had left in New Zealand after the death of her immediate family. It was tedious. But it had to be done. Sooner rather than later, Gordon Tracy would make his way to the bar and have a drink alone, giving Cameron the perfect opportunity to strike.

Gordon had left one of Naomi’s cousin’s kid on the dancefloor with another one of Naomi’s cousin’s kids. While the dancing was nice, Gordon couldn’t help but think of Stassia. So, he left the dance floor and made his way to the bar. Gordon knew his limits – one glass of the good stuff and that would be enough.   
“What can I get ya mate?” The bartender asked as Gordon sat at one of the bar stools.  
“Just a beer thanks,” Gordon replied.  
“Bride or the Groom?”  
“Both. Virg’s my older brother. Naomi lived next door,”  
“Nice,” The bartender put a bottle of beer on coaster. Gordon picked it up and looked at the bartender for the first time. Gordon could have sworn he’d seen him before.  
“You look familiar,” Gordon said, bringing the beer to his lips.  
“I should hope so cadet,” The bartender smirked “We almost died together,”   
“We almost…” It dawned on Gordon “Commander Muter?”  
“Let’s go, outside shall we?” Muter said, taking off the apron he’d been wearing.  
“Yeah sure,” Gordon got up, taking his beer with him.

“I’m going outside to grab some fresh air,” Naomi told Virgil, Scott and her high school friend Toby.  
“Okay,” Virgil said, “I’ll be waiting,” Naomi smiled and took her leave. She managed to get outside without too many of the guests coming up to congratulate to her. It was cold night and Naomi had wished she’d remembered that New Zealand would be in the middle of winter and brought a jacket with her for the reception. It had been Virgil’s idea to have the reception at Hobbiton – a ten-minute drive to Naomi’s childhood home and beautiful scenery for the guests who probably would never set foot in the small country again. He’d been right. It was beautiful. Looking around the ground, Naomi spotted Gordon talking to someone. Although it was quite dark, the fairy lights brought enough light that Naomi could read Gordon’s body language. He wasn’t comfortable in the situation he was in. Naomi walked toward her brother-in-law, hoping that her presence would be enough to change the atmosphere.  
“Hey Gordon,” She called out as she drew closer to the party of two.  
“Naomi, what are you doing out here?” Gordon asked.  
“Catching some air, what about you?”  
“Commander Muter, this is my sister-in-law Naomi. Naomi this is Commander Muter, my SO aboard the hydrofoil,” Naomi’s mind started working overtime. Gordon could only mean one hydrofoil – and everyone but him had perished. Then Naomi recalled the small bit on Commander Muter; his body wasn’t found in the wreckage or the surrounding waters, so he was missing, presumed dead.   
“Gordon, I told you that you could call me Cameron. I’m no longer apart of WASP and neither are you,”  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr Muter,” Naomi smiled politely, holding her hand out “It’s not often I get to meet someone who could tell Gordon what to do and he’d follow their orders,” Cameron shook her hand and laughed.  
“The pleasure’s all mine Naomi. Congratulations by the way,”  
“Thanks,”   
“So, what are you doing in New Zealand of all countries?” Gordon asked, “I heard the recovery teams look through most of the Pacific to find your body,”  
“It’s small, quiet and I washed ashore near Taranaki with no memory,” Cameron answered. Naomi frowned.   
“Taranaki, you say? You’re a lucky man Cameron,” Naomi said, “I heard stories about the dangerous rips at the Raglan beach a few minutes up the coast from Taranaki when I was a kid,”  
“Thankfully I didn’t get caught. One of the local Aborigines told me all about those rips. And I’m not the lucky one – Gordon here is,”  
“Have you had a chance to read the report?” Gordon asked, changing the subject.  
“Yeah,” Cameron admitted, looking at his feet “A right shame that one of your crew was one of the culprits,”  
“We must have read a different report then,” Naomi stated “None of the cadet crews were the culprit. It was a senior member of the hydrofoil crew. Also, Cameron, there’s a few things off about your story,”  
“And what would they be?” Cameron asked. His body language screamed attack.  
“Well the first is Raglan beach isn’t near Taranaki, it’s on the opposite side of the country. The second thing is that Taranaki is near the Tasman Sea not the Pacific Ocean where one would assume you’d exit from. And finally, we don’t call the Maori people Aborigines. You would have known that if you’d been living here for the past two years” Naomi moved slightly in front of Gordon “So, with that in mind, I think that this means it’s possible that you were the one who tampered with the hydrofoil,” Cameron glared at Naomi before pulling out a small tablet out of his pocket.  
“I was hoping to just take Gordon tonight, but I can’t have you blabbing to the world what you know because the world will listen to you,” Cameron said, pushing Naomi with his shoulder as he grabbed Gordon. Naomi was thrown to the ground while Gordon tried to wrestle his way out of Cameron’s grip. But he just couldn’t do it. Naomi watched Cameron slip the tablet into Gordon’s mouth. Enraged, Naomi got up and tried to stop Cameron in any way possible. The thing is, Cameron knew that’s what she would do; the girl who would do anything to save her family. He dropped Gordon to the ground. Cameron grabbed Naomi, quickly slipping her a second tablet.

“Hey Scott,” Dean caught the oldest Tracy’s attention. Scott turned to see Naomi’s uncle and aunt walking towards him  
“Hey Mr Turner,” Scott said.  
“I think you can call me Dean. We’re family,” Dean smiled “Anyway, have you seen Naomi and Virgil? Julie and I want to get going,” Scott thought about it.  
“I last saw Virgil he was heading towards the bathroom a few minutes ago. And last time I saw Naomi, she headed outside to get some fresh air but that was a few hours ago,”   
“Hey Uncle Dean,” Virgil said, “You guys thinking about heading off?”  
“Yeah, just wanted to say goodbye to you and Naomi,”  
“Naomi did go outside to grab some air, she would have come in,”  
“Hey Virg,” Will di Angelo said, “We’re about to head off, just came to check if you or Naomi needed some help,” The rest of Naomi’s team showed up.  
“I don’t need any help at the moment – not sure about Naomi, haven’t seen her in a bit,”   
“No one has – not since she left to get a bit of air,” Scott said.  
“Has anyone seen Gordon?” Alan joined the conversation “He promised he’d pay me twenty bucks if he didn’t get drunk by the end of the night. It’s the end of the night and he didn’t get drunk. I want my twenty bucks,” Suddenly, a piercing scream was heard. With several FBI Agents and first responders in the building, the natural thing was to follow the scream. They found an employee of The Green Dragon helping another person.  
“Is everything okay ma’am?” Dean asked the employee  
“No sir, Billy here, well I found him locked in the cleaning cupboard unconscious,” The employee said, “Dorothy’s gone to call the cops,”  
“Billy, I’m Dean Turner. I’m an agent with the FBI and I’m pretty sure you didn’t end up in the supply closet on your own accord,”  
“No way sir,” Billy laughed “It was this older dude – he was pretty polite, gave me his stuff when he took mine,”  
“Can you give us a description?” Will asked  
“He looked a bit older than that dude there,” Billy pointed to Jeff “He had similar haircuts to the dude and the younger dude,”   
“So, some form of military,” Scott said  
“Can I see that jacket Billy?” Julie asked. Billy nodded and took his jacket off. Julie took the jacket.  
“Is this something you’d wear? Jeff? Scott?” Both nodded   
“There’s a patch on the shoulder – WASP,” Chase pointed out.  
“Let me try something,” Dean said, look in the jacket’s front pocket. Sure enough he found what he was looking for – a pocket diary.  
“We should leave the notebook for the New Zealand police Agent Turner,” Nico said “We’re out of our judistriction,”  
“I know but I have a feeling,” Dean opened the notebook to the 14th of July. In red pen was ‘kidnap GT’.


End file.
